Maruti Suzuki Ritz Ownership Review

[raj_5004]

Got delivery of our Ritz today.

Variant: ZXi (We cancelled the booking of VXi & ordered Zxi as it had both Airbags & ABS)
Fuel: Petrol
Colour: Silver

Was driving a petrol car after a long gap & the way the tacho needle jumps to redline impressed me!

Mods: Please dont start an ownership thread for this as i wont be able to justify the thread by giving regular updates. Whatever i have to write, i will in this thread only.

Pics-

 

[*Arkin_Young*]

Now that's a very, very good decision taken. Your employees are very lucky to have such caring employers. How come all the pics, except the 1st 3, are out of focus?

 

[cooldhaya]

Nice decision Raj! Silver color is safe too!


How is it driving a petrol car after a long time? I found it really tough to drive my friend's i20 , especially the absence of low-end torque! The car just refused to move without me pressing the pedal!

 

[raj_5004]

Now that's a very, very good decision taken. Your employees are very lucky to have such caring employers. How come all the pics, except the 1st 3, are out of focus?

sorry for the out of focus pics buddy.

was in a real hurry to reach home & had to take a few pics for TAI too, my X10 just refuses to click good pics unless held with a very steady hand.

Nice decision Raj! Silver color is safe too!


How is it driving a petrol car after a long time? I found it really tough to drive my friend's i20 , especially the absence of low-end torque! The car just refused to move without me pressing the pedal!

Driving it was good though i was not revving it too much as its not 1000 kms on the odo yet. but yes, i did miss low end power & since i could not rev it, i can safely conclude that diesels are more fun!



Initial impressions-

+ Doors auto lock above 20 kmph - Nippon remote locking? anyways, good!
+ Build quality seems good & does not have the tinny feel of a santro or Wagon R.
+ Steering feel is good & much better than i10.
+ engine refinement is fab & the K series is a huge improvement over the earlier engine.
+ front third quarter styling is nice.
+ gear knob is chunky with a nice short shift action.
+ acceleration is good after 2k rpm.
+ dashboard & interior quality is very good, switches operate with nice tactile feel.
+ orange lighting is pleasant.
+ 2 airbags & ABS with EBD is a welcome addition.
+ ZXi has 185 section tyres, good.
+ steering mounted audio controls are nice.
+ remote locking has a nice chirp compared to my scorpio!
+ rear wiper!!! (diesel Ritz does not have this!)

- No electric RVMs even in this top end model.
- OE music system is crappy!
- rear design not to everyone's taste.
- alloy wheel design is too simple.
- the height adjust lever of the driver seat broke while installing the seat covers. i dont know whether its poor QC by maruti or rough handling by the seat cover guys.
- low end response of engine is average, i am comparing it with my mHawk though.
- rear legroom is just about average.
- only one cabin light, very insufficient.
- light off/key reminder has an irritating buzzer.
- ride quality is on the harder side, need to check the tyre pressure though.

 

[cooldhaya]

Absence of electric OVRM'S is shocking! Even WagonR is having it now i guess!


And about ride quality check the tyre pressure. Am sure it must be high around 40psi! I kept complaining about the same in my friend's i20 and when we checked the tyre pressure it was 40psi!


Yeah i agree diesels anyday to enjoy the driving!

 

[raj_5004]

yes, even the Wagon R has electric RVMs.

New cars always have higher tyre pressure as they are kept in the stockyard for days & the tyres are purposely overinflated since the tyres leaks air slowly.

 

[RSM]

Congrats Raj. Nice practical car. Good that you have opted for ZXI.

Seat covers is looking good, but the steering cover is badly fitted/stitched.

 

[Zinam]

Thats a great choice of cars & perfect for your use Raj.

Congratz & happy miles

 

[raj_5004]

Congrats Raj. Nice practical car. Good that you have opted for ZXI.

Seat covers is looking good, but the steering cover is badly fitted/stitched.

Seats covers & steering wheel cover is not my choice. If left to me, i would not have opted for steering wheel cover & would have fitted OE fit seat covers from G Sport or Haiton. though its not visible in pics, seat cover fitting is pathetic.

Only accessory left is window tints which is absolutely essential for mumbai's climate.

Thats a great choice of cars & perfect for your use Raj.

Congratz & happy miles

thanks buddy.

 

[raj_5004]

Better Quality pics taken in daylight!

Pics of the boot with large size suitcase-



Rear legroom with front seat slided halfway ahead-


Pics of dash-








Power windows & door lock-


Front seats have very very good legroom-


I like the way the storage bin opens, no push in or any click, just lift & close!


Narrow centre console with hardly any storage space-


I dislike this gap between the gear box console & centre console-


Exteriors-








A few more observations-

+ boot space is good enough for a hatch.
+ build quality is very good. The doors close with a very satisfying thud. even the exterior door handles have a very positive & quality pull. No wonder... since the car was designed along with GM (to be badged an Opel), so you can feel the small german touch! (Google)
+ rear legroom is very decent. rear seats are comfortable for a 6 footer like me, but with a driver of average height in the front seat!

- door pockets are very narrow, cannot hold full size bottles.
- ORVMs are not convex... bad!

 

[Zinam]

Great Pics & nice sharp picto review of Ritz

 

[raj_5004]

thanks a lot buddy.

 

[sriharsha]

i feel like pulling off the tacho and fitting it in my car. would you mind raj?

 

[raj_5004]

not if you buy me a new Ritz ZXi buddy!

 

[cooldhaya]

Great pictures , the shining silver is amazing to see! Yes boot is decent enough for a Hatch but rear seats i think i cannot even sit inside! How about fitting a subwoofer in the boot!


I find the dash to be better than Swift.


BTW is that your Scorpio and Innova seen in the pictures?